Ever since NASA mothballed the Space Shuttle, it hasn't flown a spaceship. That will change on Thursday morning, when it test-launches the Orion space capsule, which is designed for possible Mars travel . Meanwhile, South Korea intends to rankle North Korea with another large Christmas tree in the DMZ. And a new ranking of government corruption gives the US middling marks.

Every year in South Korea, high school seniors are faced with the biggest challenge of their young lives — college entrance exams. Teens are told their whole futures depend on how well they score, and the entire country works to accommodate the stressed out test takers.

India's new prime minister wants to clean up his country — and he's making all of his underlings go along with it. A leader in Delhi, though, may have missed the point. That story and more in today's Global Scan.

Six months after the ferry crash that killed nearly 300 people, among them many high school students, South Korea is considering executing the vessel's captain. It would be the country's first use of capital punishment in almost 20 years, but many South Koreans simply want to move on.

North Korea moves another missile into position on its east coast, Shanghai closes its poultry markets over bid flu fears, Hollywood bids farewell to one of its best-loved critics, and kids: don't smoke the flowers.